All That Glitters: Sgt. Garrity in the Marina District, 1989

All That Glitters is an homage to the dreamers and schemers that make the Bay Area unique. San Francisco artist Kaytea Petro uses a homemade hibiscus ink to illustrate historic photos, lovingly depicting a bygone era. More of her work can be seen at kayteapetro.com or on her Instagram.

Sgt. Garrity in the Marina District, 1989

The Price of Beauty

By Gigi Ginocchio and Farrah Zimmer

The sunrise was so beautiful that day,
I could see the painter in the distance
Waving it’s paintbrush like an American flag
Painting coarse wooden houses, red
Splattering a red that bites the houses
And turned them into ashes
The type of red teenagers were told to stay away from
Because they could get addicted
Addicted to its smell, nails digging into door frames
Or its touch, leaving your skin fried

…

She must have heard me
In my arrogance
Think this tragedy was a beauty
I thought it was a sunrise
Thought the colors
Were sweet
And I could dip my spoon in them
And taste the rainbow sherbet clouds of a sunrise,
Not an earthquake
Followed by a nasty fire

The earthquake was a
An orange burst of energy
A scorching static
It was beautiful at first
A sunrise to mark my morning
A bright seductive red
Seeped into the corners of orange
It was a giant painting filling the white canvas our sky had once been,

So yes
The paint palette was beautiful
The colors stung my eyes, drew closer
Deeper into red, and orange
And magenta, color, fuschia flames
But the canvas was being wrecked.
If this shaking came again
We wouldn’t have a canvas to work with in the first place
So it was beautiful,
But beauty comes at a price

About the poets: Gigi Ginocchio and Farrah Zimmer are students at the Ruth Asawa School of the Arts.

Like this article? Make sure to sign up for our mailing list so you never miss a goddamn thing!

Guest Writer

We write for busboys, poets, social workers, students, artists, musicians, magicians, mathematicians, maniacs, yodelers and everyone else out there who wants to enjoy life not as a rich person, but as a real person. Namely, we write for you.

We’re currently looking to expand our author pool. If you’re snarky, know what’s happening in your town, and good at making your fingers type out funny words, then you might be just the person we’re looking for. Email alex@brokeassstuart.com with some writing samples if you're interested. Cheers

get in touch

Got a broke-ass tip?
Wanna advertise with us?
How about write for us?
Got any love letters or death threats for me?CONTACT US

who we are

We write for busboys, poets, social workers, students, artists, musicians, magicians, mathematicians, maniacs, yodelers and everyone else out there who wants to enjoy life not as a rich person, but as a real person. Namely, we write for you.